


Sober Up

by thornconnelly



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst and Fluff, College Student Stiles, Everybody Lives, I don't know, I make no pretense to even stick to canon with this anymore, I refuse to say goodbye to erica or boyd or allison, M/M, but Scott is an alpha, or nobody died
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-27 09:47:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15682938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thornconnelly/pseuds/thornconnelly
Summary: Vaguely inspired by AJR's song "Sober Up."Stiles and the pack are celebrating their college graduations, and Stiles finds that he's not enjoying being drunk tonight. Conversation with Derek touches on Stiles' fears for the future and their pack, and revelations about feelings for each other.I originally intended for this to be a quick silly drabble, and then feelings started happening and I don't know what happened lol





	1. Chapter 1

Stiles stared down at his beer and frowned. He was feeling weird, even though he couldn't quite figure out why. He was back in Beacon Hills, surrounded by all of his old friends, and they were all celebrating their college graduations. They had congregated at Derek's new house in the preserve, the one he had finished building as his thesis project while getting his master's in architecture. They had pizzas and beers, and even a keg of wolfsbane infused beer for all of the werewolves. 

Stiles still had some trouble believing just how many relatively well-adjusted members of their pack there were. And most of them were werewolves. If he could time-travel back to his sixteen-year-old self, there is no way in the world he would have believed what would happen over the next five or six years. 

Scott, Isaac, and Liam seemed to be competing for who could do the longest keg stand, or something. Stiles wasn't sure since it also seemed to involve some kind of pole-vault and dancing? He shook his head and took another sip of beer. 

Lydia and Allison were laughing with Erica about something. He was glad to see the three of them getting along again. They had stopped talking during junior year of college for some reason, but it seemed having everyone back in Beacon Hills, even if it was only for a few weeks, helped them get over whatever their problem had been. 

Stiles felt the couch next to him dip, and looked over as Derek settled in next to him, bumping shoulders as he got comfortable. Stiles shouldn't be surprised. The two of them always seemed to gravitate towards one another when at pack gatherings. It's not that they avoided the other members, it's just that neither of them had maintained particularly close relationships with any of the other pack members. Stiles still loved them all, but he couldn't actually remember the last time he had hung out with Scott alone, or talked to Lydia without one of them being distracted by a hundred other things at the same time. 

He was basically over being hurt by it. That's just what happens when you grow up, right? Plus, he couldn't even blame any of them because he knew that he himself was just as guilty.

"Hey," Derek said quietly, bumping Stiles' shoulder again. 

Stiles nudged his knee, "Hey back."

"What's happening in that head of yours? You're looking particularly pensive tonight."

"Nice alliteration there."

Derek grinned, one of his new grins, the ones that split his face wide and made the sides of his eyes crinkle. "Thanks." Stiles loved these grins. They had only started appearing in the last couple years, and he treasured every one of them. 

"But I'm fine," Stiles said. At Derek's doubtful look, he added, "Really."

"And you're just sitting here, drinking and avoiding everyone else, because..."

Stiles shrugged and looked down at his beer again. It took him longer than he liked to actually focus on it, and he stood up suddenly, causing Derek to lurched sideways a little at his sudden lack of a support. "Will you go for a walk with me?"

Derek looked slightly surprised, but put down his Solo cup instantly and rose from the couch, "Of course."

"I just... I feel like I need to sober up. Will you help me sober up?"

Derek nodded and grabbed a couple water bottles as he headed for the door. 

Stiles waved vaguely towards Scott and the two of them walked out into the warm night. They walked for several minutes and Stiles was grateful that Derek sensed his need for quiet while he tried to figure out a way to formulate his thoughts and feelings into words. 

"I just... I've been thinking for a while. I made a lot of friends at school, but I felt like I couldn't really ever be close to them, because they didn't know about this huge part of my life. And none of them really even inspired me with enough trust and love to tell them about it, to invite them into the pack, you know?" Derek nodded and Stiles just kept talking, feeling like now that he had started opening up, he couldn't stop. "But then I have this whole group of people who matter so much to me, but I'm not even sure that we would mean anything to each other if it wasn't for this circumstance tying us all together. Like, I know Scott and I were friends before, but would Erica and I have ever become friends? Or Liam? Or god, even Jackson. We used to hate each other. And now I don't make any financial decisions in life before calling him. It's just... I feel numb. Is it even authentic? Is it real?"

Derek was silent for a few steps before responding, "Do you regret being part of the pack?"

"What?" Stiles squawked and flailed a little with an awkwardness that he had mostly done away with, "No of course not. We're family in a way that I would have never been able to experience, and coming from such a small family, I can't tell you how important that is to me."

"Then why are you questioning it? If you really feel like we're all family, why can't you just accept it?"

Stiles sighed deeply. "I don't know, Derek. Honestly. I mean, so many things happened so fast while I was in high school, and I feel like we were all just thrown together. We never really had a chance to get to know each other, to see if we actually like each other. We skipped right over acquaintances and friends, and went straight to family that depended on each other. I guess... I guess I'm just afraid that it's not really sustainable. Erica, Lydia, and Allison stopped talking for over a year. And now that they're back in Beacon Hills, they look like they're as close as they were in high school. But when Lydia starts her job in New York? And Allison moves to the coast? I know they'll come back to visit. I know that Lydia only plans on being in New York for a few years, but still. Can we sustain these relationships that don't have a strong foundation in friendship? Just because we depended on each other so much years ago, is that enough to last?"

Derek stopped walking and reached to turn Stiles towards him, "Stiles, I think your worries are normal." At Stiles' look of surprise, Derek chuckled and continued, "Every pack knows there is a chance that their kids will grow up and then move away or choose another pack. We're just a unique pack because we're all so close in age, that there's a lot more risk of people going to different places. That's just what people do when they grow up. Sometimes people will leave their pack for years before returning back to it."

"But what's really holding us together?" Stiles asked, finally voicing the fear that had been eating away at him. 

"Scott is here," Derek said, stepping closer and rubbing up and down both Stiles' arms. "He's going to by Deaton's veterinary practice from him in a few years. As long as our Alpha is here, our pack will be here. And some people might leave. And then they might come back. Or we might get new members. There's no guarantee, even with the strongest packs, that everyone will stay together forever."

Stiles took a deep breath. "So... we're going to be okay?"

Derek grinned, one of those eye-crinkling grins again, "Yea, Stiles. I think we're going to be okay."

Stiles stepped forward and dropped his head onto Derek's shoulder. They wrapped their arms around each other and just stood there, in the woods behind Derek's house.


	2. Chapter 2

Derek and Stiles found a fallen tree trunk to sit on, and Stiles was grateful because as much as he had outgrown a lot of his teenage awkwardness, he still didn’t want to try to drink water while walking in the dark, while drunk. 

“So what about you?” Derek asked after a few minutes of silence. 

“What about me?” 

“You’re so worried about people leaving - does that mean you decided to stay? The last time we talked you still weren’t sure if you were going to take that job down in LA.”

Stiles nodded in sudden understanding, “Scott said he was going to tell you. I took the consulting job in Santa Rosa, so I’m going to get an apartment on the west side of Beacon Hills. That way it’ll only be a half hour commute. I’d rather be closer to my dad than have a shorter commute anyway. Plus, they said I’ll be able to work from home a couple days a month.”

Derek grinned, “Did you hear I just got a contract for a housing development in Santa Rosa?”

“No shit, really? A big one?” Derek nodded, “Dude that’s awesome! We could like, commute to work together.”

Derek’s wide grinned turned a little bashful and he glanced down at the his water bottle, “I’d really like that, actually.” 

Stiles smiled and felt like he was finally sobering up; the world wasn’t so hazy and he felt pretty positive he could walk in a straight line if he tried. 

“Thanks,” Stiles said quietly. “I… you helped me feel something again. I had been losing my … I guess optimism, but … I’m definitely feeling better now.”

Derek lifted his hand towards Stiles’ face, but paused for a minute, before gently stroking Stiles’ jawline, “I’ll always be here to help you. Always.”

Stiles felt something inside him fall into place, something he hadn’t even realized had be askew. “Derek…?”

Derek shook his head, but shifted on the tree trunk a little so he was facing Stiles more, “I’m sorry. I don’t have good timing, I know, since you’re going through so much. It’s just… I need you to know that I’ll always be here for you. No matter what you need. Always.”

Stiles placed his hand over Derek’s and leaned into his touch. He had craved this touch for years, but Derek had never made a move, and Stiles eventually had taught himself to value Derek’s friendship over anything else. He tried to tell himself it was just a teenage crush, and the deep love he held for him now was nothing more than the love he held for Scott. He knew it wasn’t true, but sometimes it felt close enough. 

“Derek if you’re telling me that you’ll always be my friend, I know. But if you’re saying more than that… you have the best timing in the world.”

Derek leaned forward slightly and whispered, “I am saying more than that.”

Stiles felt his heart stutter with hope, before he closed his eyes, “You’re not just saying this to cheer me up, are you?”

Derek’s eyes widened, “No, Stiles, I wouldn’t. I’ve felt this way for years. I just wasn’t sure about anything, and I didn’t want to get in your way.”

“Get it my way?” Stiles asked while pulling back slightly. Derek had liked him for years? Years??

“I was so far from a healthy state for a long time there. I didn’t really know what I wanted or needed, and it felt unfair to you to make a move. And then you deserved time to figure out what you wanted in life,” Derek explained. 

“And if what I want most in life has been there the whole time?” Stiles asked, leaning closer to Derek and placing a hand on his neck.

Derek sucked his breath in but leaned closer, “If you’re ready, then I definitely am.”

Stiles nodded and closed the last few inches between them, pressing a kiss to Derek’s beautiful lips.


	3. Chapter 3

“You had a crush on me? You? Had a crush. On Me?” Stiles laughed as he threw himself down onto the couch. “How is that even possible? I was so awkward back then.”

Derek shook his head, but he couldn’t keep the grin off his face. He actually rarely stopped smiling now that he spent most of his time with Stiles. He was definitely going to get laugh lines now. It had only been a few days since that night in the woods when they first kissed, but he already felt like a new person. “Why are you so surprised? I thought I made myself kind of clear.” Derek put away the few groceries they had picked up, because as much as he wanted to cuddle with Stiles on the couch, he didn’t want the meat to spoil.

“Yea, about liking me now. And you sort of hinted that you had liked me for a while. But I figured you started liking me when I was in college. You know, when I grew my hair out a little, figured out how to function without knocking things over, got a couple new muscle groups. Then.”

“That would have made sense, I guess. But I think it started that night when I was paralyzed and you held me up in the pool, even though it almost killed you too.” 

“Dude. That was like, six years ago.”

“Yea?”

“Six years. I was a teenager. You had a crush on a teenager!” Stiles laughs with delight. 

Derek grumbles, but knows that he doesn’t actually look angry. He can’t quite manage to pull off the glower that used to be a semi-permanent fixture on his face. “Don’t remind me. I felt like such a creep.”

“Wait, the having a crush on me made you feel creepy, but not the literal stalking? That wasn’t creepy?”

Derek laughs out loud at this, “Stiles, we’ve been over this a hundred times. I was genuinely worried about Scott losing control and killing someone. I was willing to look ridiculous if it would save someone’s life.” Derek finally puts away the last of the groceries and joins Stiles on the couch, instantly reaching out to pull Stiles so he’s sitting on his lap.

“Mmm…. ridiculously hot, more like it.”

“But that’s why I never asked you out back then. Because I didn’t want to be that creepy older guy dating a teenager.”

“And even when I turned eighteen?”

“Well, you started dating someone in senior year, remember?” Derek points out as he runs a hand through Stiles’ hair.

Stiles nods, “Yea. Valerie was nice and all, but she wasn’t…”

“Wasn’t worth inviting into the pack,” Derek finished. 

“Yea. But then after we broke up?” Stiles asks as he wraps his arms around Derek’s neck.

“You went off to school like a week later. And I wanted you to have the chance to experience college like a normal person.”

“But then you started dating that guy, what was his name, Brett?”

Derek chuckled, “Brendon.”

“And oh my god, Derek, I almost died. I didn’t realize you were into guys before that. I had always just thought my crush was one-sided and hopeless. But that made me have hope.”

“And your hope… that’s why you started dating a guy too?” Derek asked with a laugh.

“Shut up. I had hope for the first time, but you were still with Brendon. And Tom was nice.”

“Erica made fun of me for like two weeks because she said Tom looked like me. She said that you just found a nicer version of me, and that’s why you were dating him.”

“Oh my god, I hope you told her to shut up.”

“I did. There might have been growling involved.”

Stiles laughed with glee, “This is insane, by the way. Have we really wanted to be together for years, and we’ve just been dating other people to bide our time?”

“It kind of sucks for all the people we dated, right?”

“Um, I think it kind of sucks that we haven’t been having sex with each other for years now. At least four of them. I can forgive the whole ‘he’s a teenager and I’m still dealing with too much grief and trauma to make a move’ thing. That makes sense. But we could have been together for the last four years at least.”

“You do know that you could have asked me out at some point, too, right?” Derek asks as he begins kissing up Stiles’ neck.

“I guess. But… I didn’t want to mess anything up,” Stiles said with a low groan.

“Well, you build me a time machine and I’ll go back and make a move the week before you went away to college,” Derek says with a grin. “Or we could just try to make up for four years worth of missed sex this weekend.”

Stiles jumps up suddenly, “Yes. Let’s do that. Now.”


End file.
